Mencenophobia

It is hard not to get the impression that in the current panic around the advanced polling ratings of the Polish presidential candidate Sławomir Mentzen is simply quite a few panic around the advanced ratings of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016. More: It is hard not to get the impression that we are talking about precisely the same phenomenon. In the United States, it rapidly gained a good name Trump Deagement Syndrome, that is “the Trump Madness Team”.

This madness manifested itself in the form of a belief that everything in the planet revolves around Trump; all word and movement of Trump is highly crucial and dangerous; and since Trump himself is simply a historical scandal, even trivial or fleeting things related to Trump are not trivial, but scandals of historical dimension. The illness did not lead to the deaths of the affected individuals, but weakened the collective body of American liberalism or democracy adequate to lose twice in a decade to individual like Trump. In Poland in the case of Mentzen we do not have a name for a akin kind of madness yet, but I think that we can talk calmly about Mentzenophobia or Mencnopanics happening in front of us.

The mainstream media cannot withstand the day without writing a panicky text or an alarming material about Mentzen's weirdness (support him men!!! is known from the internet!!! drinks beer!!!). On the pages of the weekly “Politics” phrase from the search password “Mentzen” brings as many as six texts with mention to a politician from 1 day only 1.04.2025. Six materials in 1 day. “Menzten at Stanowski has plowed himself?” - ask with hope leading the podcast “It happens!” Dominica Wielowieyska and Karolina Lewicka. all day Menzten is talked about in the evening and morning programs by journalists, and all day another politicians talk about him.

Adrian Zandberg in an interview with me in "Canal Zero" sought all chance to remember the Confederate candidate and challenges to his duel (at any point I have already asked for answers to further questions WITHOUT naming the M). Similarly, another candidates – Hołownia, Biejat, Trzaskowski – recording subsequent videos with a individual mention to this 1 policy and making their run increasingly about why Mentzen something and why it should offend us. Everyone is counting on them to be rewarded by the capricious deities of algorithms or to get a small bit of an online attraction where Confederate Number 1 is presently swimming. This run is increasingly starting to match the "everybody vs Mentzen" run alternatively of the conventional PO-PiS conflict.

Which, ironically... strengthens the argument repeated for years by the Confederation that it is the only real opposition force against the establishment of the Polish policy, which, despite façade differences, actually constitutes a united front of defence status quo. It is hard to find a better illustration of a akin thesis (whatever now or true) than what we are seeing.

Mainstream candidates outrun each another in simultaneously demonizing Menzten and convincing themselves that they will be better Menzten than the original. On the 1 hand, they will prove that the candidate of the Confederation represents everything in Polish politics, but at the same time has adequate good ideas in the field of taxation, social contributions and benefits, wellness protection, regulations, relations with the EU and Ukraine, that it is worth presenting them as its own. He is Schrodinger's cat of political demagoguery - the worst of all a candidate who is so good that everyone would like to be him. And you can't forget that all those candidates who present convince how much Menzten they despise and fear him - will beg his sympathizers for votes before the second round. Reaching the long-lost highest (down) of opportunism.

Primy in this peculiar competition most likely knew Rafał Trzaskowski, who had already called on Confederate voters in 2020 for votes saying "as far as economical freedom is concerned, we have mostly the same views". By the end of the 2025 campaign, he will be able to add that they have the same for migration, social benefits and wellness contributions, Ukrainians in Poland, deregulation, the function of Germany in Europe and the Green Deal. Now – as Krzysztof Stanowski and others have late shown – Trzaskowski virtually repeats the words from his competitor's speeches, including, of course, the stupidest ones of the kind "not to introduce any regulation without eliminating 2 another regulations". Karol Nawrocki for a change without regret cuts off from the social and redistributive achievements of the Law and Justice in fresh years by proposing for Menzten a programme of "simple and low taxes", which in a simple line only leads to bankruptcy - a formation that will introduce them and public finances.

The problem with Mencenophobia is rather simple. Scaring doesn't work due to the fact that it can't work. How can we convince people that Mentzen is simply a pro-Russian fascist and extremist if he approves of his demands and copies? But it besides doesn't work due to the fact that Mentzen a fascist is just not. At least not in the context of what is considered a centre in Poland. On the contrary, it is far closer to mainstream views than it might seem. Vengeance on the NFZ and the wellness contribution, the belief that the state steals and is ineffective, the apotheosis of private initiative and business, the "boyly reason" and the hostility towards "left" proceed to be regarded in our homeland as the most normical set of views, - and the fact that politicians of the remaining groups are so easy and eagerly reaching for Menzten's demands proves that it is indeed not so far from them.

But in this sense – like Trump's madness – the Menencenophobia of the Polish political scene can bring results other to those intended. Trump in a fewer months passed from the curiosium of the primaries, through the dominant Republican organization of the challenger to the authoritative denomination. All the time driven by the free fuel of the continuous media attraction he played without any problem - taught tv mechanisms thanks to the best reality shows school he was a star. And then he won the presidency.